RSMSJ Latest News

New West End Company has announced a festive event taking place on Monday, 9 November 2026, in the newly pedestrianised section of Oxford Street, between Orchard Street and Great Portland Street. The event forms part of the West End's planned festive programme and will be open to the public from 2pm to 7.30pm, featuring DJ performances, Christmas carols, themed quizzes and other festive activitie....

Hyde Park Winter Wonderland returns from Thursday, 19 November 2026, to Sunday, 3 January 2027, bringing festive attractions, entertainment and seasonal activities to Hyde Park. This year's event will feature a variety of attractions and experiences, including the Magical Ice Kingdom, the K Pop Dragon Circus, Bavarian Village, Arctic Circle and Skater’s Corner. Visitors can also look forwar....

From Monday, 26 October 2026, almost one kilometre of Oxford Street, between Orchard Street and Great Portland Street, will become traffic free as part of a phased programme of improvements led by the Oxford Street Development Corporation and its partners. What is changing? Buses, taxis, bicycles and other vehicles will be diverted onto surrounding roads. Transport for London will monitor the im....

Following the clocks changing, Grosvenor Square will move to its winter opening hours from Monday, 26 October 2026. The Square will be open daily from 7am to 6pm, with the gates closing at 6pm. Grosvenor Square is a much loved green space at the heart of our local community, offering residents and visitors a welcome place to relax and enjoy the outdoors. Please keep these updated opening hours i....

The Royal Automobile Club’s St James’s Motoring Spectacle returns to Pall Mall on Saturday 31 October, bringing a celebration of motoring history and innovation to the heart of London. The free event runs from 10am to 3pm and will feature more than 150 vehicles across six themed zones, spanning around 140 years of motoring.

Highlights include the St James’s Concours, ....

RSMSJ hosted a Be an Active Bystander workshop, giving our members and the local community an opportunity to learn how we can all play a part in creating a safer and more supportive neighbourhood. A big thank you to Neighbourhood Watch for delivering this important session and to Grosvenor, through its People Positive Community Fund, for making this opportunity possible. The one-hour workshop wa....

Preparatory works are continuing across the area, including the installation of safety bollards, changes to road layouts and improvements to pedestrian access. Please see the key dates and access arrangements below. From 8pm on Sunday, 25 October, until 6am on Monday, 26 Ocotber 2026, overnight works will affect access to Oxford Street and surronding roads.

Please note the following ....

Oxford Street is set to become traffic free between Orchard Street and Great Portland Street from Monday, 26 October 2026. The changes will affect buses, taxis and general traffic, including the area around Oxford Circus. Bus route changes will begin on Saturday, 24 October, with further diversions introduced overnight on Sunday, 25 October. What residents need to know: From Saturday, 24 Octo....

RSMSJ was delighted to hear from Kevin, a 15-year-old local resident who has taken the initiative to make a difference to the lives of children in Tanzania. Protecting our environment and supporting sustainable communities are important, and we are always pleased to champion inspiring initiatives that raise awareness of global challenges and encourage positive change. Kevin's commitment to this ca....

Dear RSMSJ Community,
On 13 October the Government published the rules for the Mayor's new licensing powers. Westminster is more exposed than any other borough to the Mayor essentially taking over licensing from elected councillors. We have until 22 November to persuade MPs to stop this.
WHAT HAS HAPPENED?

On 13 October the Government laid the Licensing Act 2003 (Appl....

The Residents’ Society of Mayfair & St James’s (RSMSJ) would like to inform members of some updates to the roles and responsibilities within the Executive Committee. As Committee members balance their Society commitments with personal and professional obligations, responsibilities have been reviewed and allocated to ensure the Society continues to operate effectively and serve the....

From Monday 26 October, the section of Oxford Street between Orchard Street and Great Portland Street will become traffic free. Changes to bus routes and stops will begin on Saturday 24 October, with further diversions overnight on Sunday 25 October. From 01:00 on Saturday 24 October: The following routes will terminate at Marble Arch: 7, N7, 94, N113 and N137. There will also be changes to rou....

Mayfair will see increased visitor activity this week as two major art events take place in the area: London Invitational 2026, hosted at The Chancery Rosewood, 30 Grosvenor Square, from 15–18 October. PAD London 2026, taking place at Berkeley Square from 15–18 October, showcasing leading international art and design galleries. Increased pedestrian and vehicle activity is expected a....

The Mount Street Neighbourhood Arts Festival returns from 12–17 October, bringing together art, culture, creativity and independent shopping across the neighbourhood. Highlights include the opportunity to have your Polaroid portrait taken by acclaimed photographer Miles Aldridge, discover new and limited edition titles from Hauser & Wirth Publishers, and join a series of breakfast conve....

Oxford Street is preparing to become traffic free between Orchard Street and Great Portland Street from 26 October 2026.

As part of the enabling works, there will be a number of changes to vehicle and pedestrian access in the surrounding streets. 

Permanent road closures from 19 October From 10pm on Monday, 19 October 2026, access to Oxford Street will be permanent....

Help support a local youth project Mace and the Caxton Youth Organisation are working together on a project to give old vinyl records a new lease of life. The records will be used by young people for DJ training and creative arts and crafts projects, including making bowls, clocks and other creative items. If you have any old vinyl records at home that you no longer need and would be happy to do....

Westminster City Council is introducing a new online parking permit system to make it easier for residents to apply for, renew and manage their housing parking permits. The new system will gradually replace paper permits with virtual parking permits over the next 12 months. Existing permit holders will be contacted in phases as their current permits approach renewal. Residents applying for a par....

Westminster City Council and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea are asking residents to share their views on the future of local libraries and archive services. The eight-week survey is an opportunity for residents and library users to tell the councils what they value, what could be improved and what they would like to see from their local library in the future. Libraries are an import....

Garden Party Raffle Prizes - Winners, please get in touch!
A big thank you once again to everyone who joined us for our Summer Garden Party at Mount Street Gardens. We hope you had a wonderful evening! We are still waiting to hear from a number of our raffle prize winners, who have yet to collect their prizes. If you were lucky enough to win a raffle prize and haven't collec....

The Oxford Street Development Corporation is holding a series of drop in events where residents, businesses and visitors can meet the team, find out more about the changes and ask questions. Monday 28 September, 1.30pm–4.30pm
Regent’s Hall
275 Oxford Street
London W1C 2DJ Wednesday 30 September, 5.30pm–8.30pm
Oxford Street Development Corporation
1....

The Residents’ Society of Mayfair and St James’s and Grosvenor Property UK welcomed a group of our members for a special members’ tour of Grosvenor Square. This was a wonderful opportunity to learn more about the £25 million transformation of our local square into a climate resilient urban garden, with 150,000 plants and bulbs, new trees, wildlife and a greener, calm....

Have your say: Just over a week to have your say on Westminster’s budget Westminster City Council is asking residents to have their say on which local services matter most as the Council faces significant reductions in government funding. The Council says its government grant will fall by £100 million over the next four years. Combined with rising costs, inflation and demand for serv....

The Oysho Royal Parks Half Marathon returns to London on Sunday, 11 October 2026, with up to 18,300 runners taking part to raise money for good causes. The event will affect roads across the Royal Parks and Westminster, with temporary road closures in place to allow the race to take place. The closures have been agreed in advance with Westminster City Council and Transport for London. Ro....

THANK YOU FOR A WONDERFUL EVENING
A huge and heartfelt thank you to everyone who joined us for the Residents’ Society of Mayfair and St James’s Summer Garden Party at Mount Street Gardens. It was a wonderful evening of good food, music, laughter and, most importantly, bringing our community together. It was lovely to see familiar faces, welcome new members and friends, and wat....

Silver Sunday - Sunday 4 October 2026 Silver Sunday is a national day celebrating older people and bringing communities together through fun, welcoming activities. It is a lovely opportunity to meet others, try something new, explore our local area and enjoy time together. This year, dozens of events are taking place across Westminster and beyond, with something for everyone. From walks, tours a....

Works are continuing in preparation for Oxford Street to become traffic free between Orchard Street and Great Portland Street. A number of changes are being made to surrounding streets, including changes to traffic movements, parking, taxi ranks, bus facilities and pedestrian crossings.

Key updates Great Castle Street West
 Kerb realignment works are underway and are expected to ....

Dear RSMSJ community, We wanted to share the security update from AR Global regarding the 9/11 commemoration taking place at the September 11 Memorial Garden in Grosvenor Square on Friday, 11th September 2026. As this year marks the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, enhanced security and policing measures are expected in and around Grosvenor Square throughout the day. Please note the follow....

Dear Westminster community,

The Residents’ Society of Mayfair and St James’s would like to invite you to take part in a survey on public safety in the City of Westminster, including anti-social behaviour and serious crime. The survey is being conducted by the Westminster Safer Neighbourhood Board, an independent forum that works with the local community, neighbourhood pol....

Please find attached information about Your Budget Choices, the council's survey to understand which services matter most to residents. It explains the significant financial challenge facing the council following unprecedented cuts to government funding in Westminster. We would welcome your views through the survey, which will help inform the decisions the council needs to make. You can take our....

We are writing to inform you that Grosvenor Square Gardens will be closed to the public on Friday 11 September 2026, between 7am and 18:30, to facilitate the 25th anniversary commemoration of 9/11annual September 11 Memorial Commemoration. The memorial is an important occasion that honours the memory of the 67 British citizens of those who lost their lives in the terrorist attacks of 11 September....